The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my mind and heart in Luke 24:5-7,
"Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has
risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in
Galilee: 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful
men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.'"
These are the words spoken by the "two men", angels, to the women who
had gone to tend to the body of Jesus following the Sabbath. Jesus had
been crucified on the day before the Sabbath and his unprepared body
had been placed in a tomb. Now returning to the tomb, they found it
empty.
This is the account of Jesus' resurrection. This, together with the
testimony of many to whom he appeared following his resurrection form
the basis for a core belief of all who follow Jesus: he arose from the
dead! Paul tells us, "Christ died for our sins according to the
Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day
according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then
to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of
the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though
some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the
apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally
born." 1 Corinthians 15:3-8.
Death entered the human family as a judgment of God when Adam and Eve
sinned in the garden of Eden. Since all people die (and remain that
way from the perspective of life here "under the sun"), Jesus'
resurrection reveals something to me that is very important. Because
he rose from the dead, I have complete assurance that Jesus' sacrifice
of himself satisfied God's justice. By placing my trust and faith in
him I can now have God's forgiveness.
Jesus foretold of this. "From that time on Jesus began to explain to
his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at
the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and
that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life."
Matthew 16:21 "Now as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the
twelve disciples aside and said to them, 'We are going up to
Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests
and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will
turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified.
On the third day he will be raised to life!'" Matthew 20:17-19. At the
last supper Jesus offered a cup to his disciples and told them, "Drink
from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured
out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
The resurrection of Jesus was something verified and witnessed to by
many. It confirms to me what is unseen, God's justice satisfied, by an
event that is well-attested to. It forms a core belief that must be
embraced if one is to follow the Lord and enter into his family. "If
you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your
heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is
with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with
your mouth that you confess and are saved." It is all about placing
our faith in who Jesus Christ is and what he has done.
How wonderful is this crowning event of the resurrection of Jesus
Christ! What a wonderful way for him to announce to a world blind in
its darkness what he said on the cross, "It is finished." John 19:30.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
your thoughts of worship from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
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